Party Games

October 6, 2014
In this return to Fear Street, one of Stine's most popular and enduring series, after a nearly two-decade hiatus, 17-year-old Rachel Martin defies horror-story common sense: never attend a party at a supposedly haunted mansion on Fear Island, in the middle of Fear Lake, at the end of Fear Street, hosted by sexy Brendan Fear (on whom she has a crush). Ignoring her ex-boyfriend's warnings, Rachel joins a group of friends to celebrate Brendan's 18th birthday in the spooky, sprawling, and ancient mansion. Before long, the teens end up stranded on the island during a blackout. And then the first body turns up. Stine's talent for escalating tension, establishing a creepy atmosphere, and keeping readers on edge with multiple twists is undiminished, but the overall effect is like that of a haunted houseâall smoke and mirrors. Truly scary scenes, like Rachel clawing her way out of a forgotten mass grave, are undermined by cheesier "gotcha" moments and fake-outs. The story is solid, but doesn't entirely live up to its potential. Ages 12âup. Agency: Parachute Publishing.

August 1, 2014
The teens of Shadyside are in for more scares now that Stine has returned to his beloved franchise. Rachel Martin's got a big-time crush on Brendan Fear. She's incredibly excited to be invited along with the cool kids to Brendan's birthday party on Fear Island, so much so that she's willing to ignore an ominous dead animal in her bed and the warnings of her best friend. Of course, once the party starts and the guests start to drop like flies in gruesome ways, Rachel's only concern is getting off the island in one piece. The author's instinct for creative kills remains strong despite a 15-plus-year absence from the series. There isn't a lot to chew on when it comes to character or theme, although it's hard to imagine anyone looking for such a thing in a Fear Street novel. These books are designed to be a pleasant diversion as well as fodder for nightmares, and in that aspect, the author doesn't disappoint. The only frustration is the lack of a supernatural element to the string of murders. Ghosts and zombies are the author's strength, not masked killers and kidnappers. The frights make up for this misstep but only by a little. More of the same-yet here, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. (Horror. 12-16)

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November 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Lurking on Fear Street are many more page-turning (albeit formulaic) horrors from the beloved author. This first installment of the revamped series has the classic Stine recipe: told from one character's point of view in a linear chronology, with a focus on plot over character or context development. Each chapter is a cliff-hanger and readers can anticipate the type of scare they're in for-until the final twist. The novel is written from the perspective of contemporary teenager Rachel, who is delighted to be invited to her crush Brendan Fear's birthday party on his remote private island. The cursed Fear family and has a terrifying reputation, and when teenagers start being murdered at Brendan's party, it seems the curse is becoming a reality. The book was frightening-with ghosts, masked robbers, and even red-eyed bats-but the mayhem is committed offstage and the details aren't too gruesome. Also, despite the romantic plot line, there was nothing raunchier than a kiss. The simple language and horror themes will appeal to many readers, including reluctant ones. A volume that proves why Stine's books endure.-Lisa Nowlain, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Grades 6-9 Stine revives his Fear Street series with a tale that brings together a group of Shadyside teenagers for a night of terror in an eerie mansion. Undeterred by the dead rat that she finds in her bed, narrator Rachel joins classmates for an unchaperoned birthday party thrown by dedicated gamer Brendan Fear at his family's remote summer house. A scavenger hunt quickly turns into a shriekfest as (apparent) corpses and armed gunmen turn up amid power failures, ghost sightings, and other weird events. Is it all an entertainment dreamed up by Brendan? No, not all of it, as it turns out. Aimed at Goosebumps graduates, the story is constructed in short chapters that each end with a grab in the dark or some chilling discovery, and it is replete with horror tropes that are carefully gauged to titillate or gross readers out without really disturbing them. References to cell phones and contemporary video games serve to update the series' backdrop, and though it's all as formulaic as can be, Stine again demonstrates that he is a true master of the formula.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)